(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in a combine harvester of a rotary-type, and in particular to a combine harvester of rather small size, wherein planted grain stalks are reaped by a reaping/pretreating apparatus and then fed by a conveyor to a threshing section of a thresh/selection apparatus. The goods which pass through the threshing section are fed to a chaff-sieve for rocking selection thereon. The thus selected grains are transferred to and withdrawn in a grain tank disposed on and above the thresh/selection apparatus, while the goods left over without passing through the threshing section are forced, by beater means, to be fed to a rearward strawwalker for rocking selection thereon.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Conventional combine harvesters of the above-mentioned rotary-type have in general been constructed, but are typically rather large in size having a considerable reaping width (say 2.5 m and more). The large size is to stabilize the vehicle by lowering its overall height or, more particularly, its center of gravity, and also to render the vehicle more compact. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a thresh/selection apparatus (3) extending the entire transverse width of the vehicle is mounted on a vehicle frame (2) equipped with a pair of left and right running-travel apparatuses (1), (1) such as a crawler or the like. A manipulation quarter (4) is disposed on a front end upper portion of the thresh/selection apparatus (3) at a left-and-right center portion while a grain-tank (6) is disposed at a position rearwardly of the manipulation quarter (4) and on and above a threshing section (3a) of the thresh/selection apparatus (3). A prime-mover section (5), consisting of an engine (26) is disposed at a position rearwardly of the grain-tank (6) and on and above a selecting section (3b) of the thresh/selection apparatus (3). A part of the various apparatuses constituting the thresh/selection apparatus (3), such as a rockingly transferring apparatus (14) which rearwardly transfers thresh-treated goods from the threshing section (3a), a winnower (16) which supplies selection-wind to the selecting section (3b) for wind-separation, and so forth, are disposed in a manner of sinking them down in between the left and right running-travel apparatuses (1). However, if it is desired to construct such a machine of rather small size, of comparatively narrow reaping width (say 2 m and less), the disposition of the thresh/selection apparatus (3) (e.g. the rockingly transferring apparatus (14), the winnower (16) and so forth), by lowering it in between the left and right running-travel apparatuses (1), (1), then becomes impractical because it is impossible to provide sufficiently ample spacing interval of the left and right running-travel apparatuses (1), (1). Thus, if the disposition or arrangement of the large-sized machine as mentioned above is simply applied to a small-sized combine harvester of the directly-streamed type, it is necessary to increase the height of the vehicle in comparison with the vehicle width which thus decrease vehicle stabilization and moreover, does to provide a compact vehicle, which is particularly desired in small-sized machine types.